Vader's Fighting style

Does anyone know what form of combat Lord Vader employs?
I've recently read The rise of Darth Vaderbut it doesn't really say. The book only points out that Vader's style (for obvious reasons) differs greatly from Anakin Skywalkers.

But looking at the films, it seems to me Vader fights very similar to Mace Windu. Was this intentional?
Windu uses form 7 doesn't he? Vaadad...

Does anyone know if its stated in any literature what form Vader uses? And Luke/Mara, and the Solo kids, i was also wonder what forms they use as well.

I realize not too much may have been siad about such things since the forms were only created oncwe the prequel films came along so..

 

Luke and Vader both use Djem So, which was basically invented to describe the kendo based style they used in the original movies.

The novel generation of characters don't necesarally know any of the seven forms.

 

Vader utilizes a variety of things from different forms-iirc, the current list is Soresu, Djem So, and Makashi.

Although you could argue Sith swordfighting by default has Vaapad's philosophy of allowing yourself to feel emotion during fighting, but that's a tenous link at best, as Mace's Vaapad was only practical through exceptional self-control, which by definition Sith don't believe in.

 

How about Form Whatever-I-Need-To-Kill-The-Frakker?

 

Dooku seems to be in tottal control when fighting in the movies... Although, he never did seems very Sith-like to me, more like a dark Jedi...

 

No, if he was a Dark Jedi then he'd be a moron like Ventress who would've been content with fighting on Rattatak for the rest of her life. Dooku has ambition.

And watch Vader one-arm Luke around at the start of the Bespin duel; it's beautiful fencing, which is what Dooku's Makashi basically is.

 

Vader from the SW Insider that explored the fighting forms Vader uses Form 5 for most of the films again with soem minor changes to his strikes due to the armor he wears.

 

I always figure there's not much point fitting Sith into the staple Jedi Forms. The Forms are designed with avoiding dark impulses in mind, hence why use of Form VII was restricted and disencouraged because it was experimental and edged dangerously close to the dark side. I generally assume Sith would just say "to hell with not killing people" and not need to stick to the Jedi Arts exactly.

Now, that is not saying that they don't learn them as a starting point... but chances are Vader stepped outside the rulebook most of the time. Vaguely akin to how I imagine Jaina's Mandalorian battle rage mentality to be: elbowing people in the groin should you get the chance (which seems like something Maul would do) and not worrying about playing dirty, just focusing on winning the fight. Her duel with Caedus always struck me as much more like Maul's elbowing and generally brutish fighting style than fencing and fancy footwork like the pure Jedi Arts tend to be about.

 

Yeah. I love that Vader just kinda plays with Luke in the start of the ESP duel. It isn't until Luke actually becomes a threat that he gets serious. Vader rocks! But I have to agree that the style that gets the job done is the one to roll with. In the ROTS novel Anakin and Obi Wan switch out styles to throw Dooku off balance in the begining.

 

The rather ridiculous concept of light saber 'forms' lends it way to this kind of confusion. Why on Earth they classify Vader's overhead strikes as 'clumsy' I'll never know. He just bludgeons his enemies to death, or eliminates them surgically, whichever works fastest.

 

I prefer to think of the forms as philosophies, personally, as opposed to groups of moves. Form 1 would be the only actual form and that's where the actual mechanics of the fighting come from; Makashi through Juyo would be applications of different philosophical views on fighting.

 

Quoted for truth.

 

I don't see forms as rediculous at all. There are differant schools of sword fighting on earth, it would be more rediculous if every Jedi fought the same way.

"Clumsy" is just how people who study other forms see attacks they don't understand.

 

There may be different techniques for a single weapon and different schools, but as someone who studied two styles of fencing, there's a certain degree of uniformity in what you learn. There's none of this, 'sacrifice two points of offense for one point of defense' stuff. No matter what style you favor, you're still going to be using a very limited number of moves, strikes and blocks. There's seven/eight parries (in saber) for a reason, they work without compromising technique.

 

If you've studied two styles of fencing, then you know the eight saber parries and the eight foil/epee parries aren't the same, and that the stances for all three styles are rather different because they have different emphases; and that's for just one group of closely related late-European styles.

 

Yes, but that's because the swords in question are designed for different purposes. A foil/epee are designed for stabbing while a saber is primarily a slashing weapon. The blocks, stances and parries change to get the most out of the weapon. Yes, there are exceptions here and there where a fancy behind the back stab will get you a point or two, but different saber 'forms' (and I'm explicitly using the Star Wars term here) do not exist. All fencing schools, eastern and western may have their trade secrets, but the basics are pretty much the same. That's not how Star Wars depicts lightsaber forms if you get my meaning.

A lightsaber is an omni-directional weapon. Thus it follows techniques developed it would take that into account.

 

The lightsaber is an interesting weapon to think about, as swords go. It's both rapier and saber. It's a slashing and thrusting weapon. But it also eliminates certain techniques one might use. For instance, there are some techniques where you might put a hand on the blunt side of a single-edge blade to add power to your stroke... you can't do that with a lightsaber. It's all edge, 360 degrees.

Also, anyone remember in The Last Command when Mara used a thrusting technique on some creature on Wayland and Luke mused that she must've learned that from the Emperor because it wasn't a "Jedi move?" Haha. Interesting idea that Zahn had there... because we didn't really see a whole lot of thrusting/stabbing in the OT it must not be something Jedi do and therefore is dark side. How is thrusting worse than slashing? Also, Luke never picked up on the idea of using his lightsaber like that? Seriously? Doesn't reflect on him very well, that's sort of one of the first things you think about when you pick up a blade. Stab and slash.

 

Well, from what I can remember of the OT duels, I think we saw maybe two thrusts in the whole shebang. One by Vader in ANH, and another by Vader in ROTJ.

 

The most interesting saber technique seen in Star Wars is when Vader defeats Luke on Bespin. He disarmed his son, literally, with a circle parry, disengage, and sliced Luke's hand up and off with the BACK of what would normally be the sword blade (The non-sharp side). That move would be impossible with any normal Earth sword.

 

Your lack of appreciation of the finer points of the setting is deplorable. How can you even claim to be a fan if you just make jokes about one of its central concepts?

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It's obviously Form "Whatever-I-Need-To-Kill-The-Kriffer"

 

I always felt after reading Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader that he kinda created his own fighting style in order to protect all of the life-support controls on his chest. Jedi Master Roan Shryne sorta mentions this during his fatal duel.

 

That move would be impossible even with a dual edged sword and perfect aim and control, if only because it'd be kriffing hard to have enough inertia to cut through flesh and bone. That move remains the coolest movement in the films, IMO.

Forget the flashy stuff, it's the straightforward swordplay that I find really interesting. For instance, I'd have loved to see a duel between Yoda and Sidious NOT involve them batting at each others light sticks... but slashing and thrusting etc without ever touching blades, because they are just that fast that neither of them is where they other is striking when they strike. Would've liked to see that with Dooku too. Funny how he's all "I see this contest can't be decided with the Force and we must do it with a lightsaber" Really? Because it makes more sense for the lightsaber to be used first, then the Force be the deciding match ala Sidious v Yoda. And that duel still ended in a draw! Just shows how outclassed Dooku was by Yoda.

 

Yup, especially considering a double edged blade like a rapier is a terrible cutting weapon because it has no curve. The only thing you can do with it effectively is a draw cut if you miss with a stab. Maybe with a great claymore or broadsword, but even then like you said, you wouldn't have the momentum needed for that Vader move to snip off a hand at close quarters.

You know, the only lightsaber fighting style they haven't adapted yet is using a great sword like a quarter staff. Basically, you hold the sword in your right hand and grip the sword in the middle with the left while wearing an armored gauntlet. That was the style Don Juan of Austria used at Lepanto to great effect. All you need is a cortosis gauntlet or some such and there you go, new lightsaber technique.